A Boulder District Judge ruled that there was enough evidence to uphold the charges against Adam Densmore — the suspect in the murder and dismemberment of Ashley Mead — despite Densmore's attorneys saying that if there was a murder, all the evidence pointed to it being a hasty act and not premeditated.

Densmore, 32, had the second day of his preliminary hearing Wednesday to determine if there was enough evidence to uphold the charges against him — including first-degree murder after deliberation — and continue to hold him without bond.

His attorney, Kathryn Herold, said that the evidence presented by attorneys for the first-degree murder charge did not meet the criteria for holding Densmore without bond, which has a higher standard than simply upholding the charge.

She said the fact that Densmore is alleged to have driven Mead's body from Boulder to Louisiana to then dismember it showed that if a murder occurred, it was "a hasty or impulsive act."

She also noted that the prosecution did not present any evidence as to how, when or where Mead died.

"There has been zero testimony on how Ms. Mead died, when she died and where she died," Herold said. She later added, "For all we know, she had a heart attack and Mr. Densmore freaked out and cut her up."

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But Boulder District Judge Ingrid Bakke said that she heard enough over two days of testimony to both uphold the charge and continue to hold Densmore without bond even without direct testimony about how Mead died.

"There is a lot of circumstantial evidence, which the court finds rises to that level," Bakke said.

After issuing the ruling, Bakke asked the two sides to come up with an arraignment date for Densmore, since judges would be rotating dockets later this year.

The evidence presented Wednesday included more blood evidence and wounds on Densmore that Bakke agreed was a sign he had been in some sort of altercation.

Boulder police Detective Kurt Foster took the stand on Wednesday and said that Densmore was found with a bite mark on his chest and a bite mark on his thigh after his arrest on Feb. 15 — three days after Mead was last seen. Foster also testified and presented photos of other lacerations and cuts on Densmore's arms, legs and face.

Prosecutors on Wednesday showed DNA testing of the blood found in the Boulder apartment, the car and the Densmores' Louisiana home all matched Mead's, in addition to some from Densmore.

Also, a pair of broken glasses were found in the car that Foster said matched a pair Mead was wearing in a photo taken on the day she went missing.

In tracking Densmore's movements before his arrest, Foster said surveillance photos from Feb. 15 placed Densmore at an Oklahoma gas station and Walmart near a dumpster where Mead's torso — missing most of its internal organs — was found in a suitcase.

Boulder police Detective Kara Wills also testified that video surveillance shows Densmore taking out what appeared to be a trash bag from the car and putting it into a dumpster in Arkansas earlier that day.

Earlier in the hearing, Boulder police Detective Andrew Kirshbaum testified that he tried to get in touch with Densmore when Mead was first reported missing by a supervisor on Feb. 14.

Kirshbaum testified that Densmore did call him back on Feb. 15 before he was arrested. Kirshbaum recorded the call, and snippets of the recording were played at the hearing.

When asked about the last time he saw Mead, Densmore can be heard saying in the recording, "We got into a massive fight, probably the worst fight we have ever been in."

Densmore can be heard saying that he left because he was worried the fight would get physical. He said he told Mead he was going to take a drive with Winter — Mead's 1-year-old daughter; Densmore is Winter's father — and said he yelled at her when he left.

"In a lot of anger I said, 'I hate you, and I hope you die,'" Densmore can be heard saying on the recording. He later says he was ashamed he said that but adds, "I literally meant that when I said it."

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